rea residents looking to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holidays this year will have to do so without the help of “rockets' red glare,” as Howard County commissioners approved a ban on rockets and other finned fireworks Monday.

Commissioners voted unanimously — with Precinct 2 Commissioner Donnie Baker making the motion, which received a second from Precinct 4 Commissioner John Cline — in favor of the ban in hopes of staving off what County Judge Mark Barr said has become an unfortunate tradition in the county.

“Almost every Jan. 1 we have a bad wildfire,” Barr told commissioners during Monday's meeting. “This ban won't guarantee we won't have one again, but it will certainly help.”

According to Tommy Sullivan, Howard County Volunteer Fire Department chief, rockets — mainly those which are attached to a stick or have fins and are designed to fly several hundred feet into the air — pose a significant risk over other types of fireworks.

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